Reid's daughter
by slep
Summary: Reid walks into a briefing with a surprise. The team is overjoyed for there friend but there are many questions that need answering.
1. Chapter 1

At four am, the Behavior Analysis Unit was gathered in the conference room. Everyone had a mug of coffee and no one was smiling or joking, it was too early. Rain was lashing the windows, and everyone was wondering if they could even fly out. Derek Morgan decided to try Spencer Reid again, he had taken a few weeks of personal leave and was due back today. Reid answered on the fifth ring,

"Hey kid, I'm just wondering if you're going to fly out with us?"

"Of course we can wait. See you soon."

"Reid's going to come; he asked if we can wait fifteen minutes till he gets here." Morgan said addressing the rest of the team

"Why doesn't he meet us on the plane? We've all done it." Rossi asked

"He didn't say, just asked if we could wait here."

"That's fine, it will give a chance for the weather to clear up." Hotch said

Twenty minutes passed before Reid came. He had a duffle bag on his shoulder, and was carrying a wooden basket, with metal reinforcements in his hands, covered with a cloth. He carefully put the basket on the couch, dumped the duffle bag on the floor and practically collapsed onto the couch. The team watched in surprised puzzlement, waiting for Reid to explain.

"Hotch could you please call an ambulance? My phone died a minute after I finished speaking with Morgan." Reid said

"Why do you need an ambulance?" Hotch asked worriedly pulling out his phone

"I got shot in the gut; I think it was in the gut?" Reid said musingly before he could continue Morgan, JJ, and Garcia were on there feet hurrying over to him, Hotch dialing before Reid could finish his sentence

Reid ignored the three people crowded around him "I patched it up, but it's still bleeding. Or if you've got needle and thread I could sew it up and drive to the hospital."

"Don't do that," Hotch ordered "I'm already on the phone." Hotch turned his attention completely to the call

"Dave can you examine him, and JJ get the first aid kit." Hotch said after he finished his call

"Reid who shot you?" Morgan asked

Reid ignored him trying to unzip his jacket; Rossi quickly came over and helped him take off the leather jacket he was wearing. His entire lower right side was covered in blood. Rossi lifted his shirt and saw a piece of cloth, held in place by duct tape, it stunk of alcohol.

"Reid who shot it you? Is the person still after you?" Morgan repeated his question his tone demanding and concerned

Reid again ignored him. Rossi waited until JJ got back before lifting up the bandage and saw a bullet wound, Reid's face turned pale as Rossi cleaned and bandaged the wound, Hotch went over and took Reid's hand and gave him a reassuring smile, Reid barely noticed he just gripped Hotch's hand tight. After Rossi was done, he left the room to wash his hands and JJ cleaned up. Reid tilted his head against the couch, Garcia came over and helped him take some water and Alieve. Suddenly crying was heard; it sounded like it came from the basket beside Reid. Garcia took a step back in surprise, while Reid shoved Hotch away and stood. He reached under the blanket and pulled out a baby, the effort was too much for him though and he would have fallen if Hotch hadn't caught him and helped him back on the couch

"Reid whose child is that?" Hotch asked

"Mine, her name is Elena. I wanted to name her Anna but she insisted on naming her after her sister."' His voice was barely audible at first but gained strength as he continued

"Anna: is that her mother?" JJ asked

"Yes," Reid stopped abruptly his face going pale, and he gripped Elena tight making her cry even hard. The spasm passed and he loosened his grip, Garcia came over and he handed her over.

"Is she alright?" Reid said breathlessly

"Yes, a bit startled is all." Garcia answered

Suddenly another cry was heard; Hotch gripped Reid's shoulder to keep him from moving. JJ went removed the blanket entirely and picked up another child from the basket

"Diana, Elena's sister. I named her after my mother." Reid said regaining his voice

Another spasm of pain hit and Reid gritted his teeth and clenched his hands. Morgan knelt down and took Reid's hand. Rossi returned but everyone was too concerned with Reid to notice. Hotch kept his grip on Reid's shoulder, though much more gently now.

"Reid do you have anything to help with the pain?" Morgan asked the Alieve was not doing anything to help

Reid pointed to his jacket, and after searching Morgan pulled out a flask, along with Reid's gun, chewing gum, and a pacifier. Reid looked around at his friends and then down at the ground in shame

"I know, with the babies, with everything, it was what I could find, I had to keep going somehow."

"Spencer we understand." Hotch said no judgment just understanding and respect.

Morgan opened the flask and helped Reid take a drink. After that he leaned back for a minute and then reached for Diana. The babies had quieted down, both were wide eyed and looking around with rampant curiosity. JJ gently handed her over. Morgan put his hands around the baby and helped position and held her on Reid's lap. Reid kissed her on the forehead, and then put his hand on head and spoke though too softly for any of the team to hear. He then kissed her again, and hurriedly signaled JJ to pick her up as yet another spasm hit. As the pain ended Reid asked for Elena and did the same things with her.

"Derek, Penelope, would you be godparents to them?"

"Of course, I'd love to be a fairy godmother to another child." Garcia said trying to sound upbeat but failing she sounded close to tears

"Yes, I will." Derek said hiding his emotions better than Garcia but still sounded sad and worried

"Thank you both so much. JJ, Garcia would you please take the babies out into the bullpen. There are baby supplies in the duffel bag."

The agents looked at each other with worry, the two women left, Hotch opening the door. Emily followed after them with the duffel bag; she was going to keep an eye out for the paramedics. Reid closed his eyes after they left and rested his head back.

"Reid, Spencer, you need to stay awake." Hotch said lightly shaking him

"I'm so tired; the only thing that kept me going was getting my girls somewhere safe." Reid said opening his eyes

"Spencer, your daughters need you, just hold on a little longer. The paramedics will be here soon" Hotch said his voice calm but his face and especially his eyes betrayed his sadness and his worry

Reid looked at him and smiled slightly before closing his eyes again.

 **A/N Please review. All reviews welcome, so please comment, subscribe.**


	2. Chapter 2

Rossi shook him slightly trying to get a response, Morgan called his name: Reid was passed out cold. Thankfully Emily rushed into the room only a minute later followed by two EMT's. Hotch quickly moved the basket out of the way and they laid Reid flat on his back on the couch.

"Sir how long has he been unconscious?" one of them asked Hotch, while the other got out medical supplies

"Only a minute."

The two paramedics examined the gunshot wound and then asked Hotch another question

"How long ago was he shot?"

"I don't know, he walked in here seven minutes before you came, his lower right side and shirt was already covered in blood." While they were talking the men were applying fresh bandages.

After they were done the put Reid on oxygen, and loaded him onto a stretcher. They carried him out the door and into the elevator: Morgan accompanying them. The others went into the bullpen and walked over to JJ and Garcia who were standing by the door of the bullpen feeding the infants in their arms at the same time. Anguish and dismay plain as day on both their faces as they turned to the rest of the team. Rossi gave a questioning glance at the bottles they were using

"We found these in the duffle bag, how's Reid?" JJ said with desperate hope

"Their taking him to the hospital, they didn't tell us anything. JJ I want you to get in touch with your contact in the police department tell them we're going to be delayed, warn them we might not even be able to come out. The rest of us are going to head over to the hospital, Garcia you and Rossi put the babies back in the basket we need to take them to the hospital and have them checked out." Hotch said

The two women finished feeding Diana and Elena. JJ then handed Diana over to Rossi and went to her office to make the call. Before Garcia went to the conference room she paused and handed Hotch an envelope stained with blood

"I found this in the duffle bag, it's addressed to you."

"Thanks, did you find anything else?"

"We didn't really look, this was on top."

Garcia left and Hotch put the envelope in the pocket of his suit jacket. Emily had taken the empty bottles and quickly rinsed them out in the sink, before putting them in the duffel bag. Rossi and Garcia came out of the conference room: Garcia carrying the basket. Emily picked up the duffel bag, JJ hurried over just as they reached the elevators and they all drove to the hospital. Once they got their Garcia and JJ took the babies up to the pediatric ward, while the others joined Morgan in the waiting room.

"Hey Morgan, what happened?" Rossi asked

"They took him into surgery, that's all I know." Morgan replied sad and even sounded a little scared

"He's going to be fine, he's a fighter." Hotch said trying to sound reassuring but failing

Everyone took a seat except Morgan who started pacing. Hotch took the letter out of his jacket and opened it inside was: two birth certificates one for Diana and one for Elena, a letter, two notes, a picture, and a beautiful gold cross.

"Dave, these are the twins birth certificates, I need you to take these to pediatrics. " Hotch said handing them over

"Aaron the twins are only three weeks old. Something bad must have happened to Anna." Rossi said as he glanced at the papers

Hotch just nodded in agreement and Rossi left. After puzzling over the contents of the envelope Hotch got a plastic bag and put the articles in for safe keeping. They would be sent to a lab for further testing. Emily in the meantime had gone through the duffel bag. The team waited an hour before JJ, and Rossi joined them. Garcia was staying with the twins who were being kept in the pediatric ward until a relative or guardian was found.

"I went through the rest of the papers and Emily went through the duffel bag. The birth certificate lists Anna Smith a twenty five year old waitress as the twins mother. The letter is addressed to Garcia and Morgan granting them full custody over Diana and Elena in case anything should happen to the parents. The first note is from Anna to Reid asking him to look after their children. The second note is for me asking to help Morgan and Garcia gain custody of the twins and to act as executor of Reid's will. The picture and the crucifix I assume are Anna's and were put in their for safe keeping." Hotch said

"The duffle bag was packed in a hurry. Reid put in bottles, formulas, some clothes both his and the twins, and the letter. There were also two hand knitted baby blankets one for each twin with their name embroidered on them. Anna probably spent months knitting them. " Emily said

Emily I need you get Garcia down here so I can go over the letter with her and Morgan, and then I need you to stay with the twins." Hotch ordered

Garcia came down confused Emily had not explained anything, Hotch handed her the letter and she Morgan withdrew to Reid it. After a couple of minutes they came over to Hotch and sat down

"As you can see from the letter Reid is giving you two guardianship of the twins. Since Reid is not going to be in any condition to take care of his children while he recovers and Anna is missing. Garcia, Morgan I know Reid asked you to be godparents but before I ask a judge for temporary custody I want to make sure you two are willing to look after Diana and Elena. "

"Of course Hotch, he's my brother, I couldn't do anything else." Morgan said

Garcia just gave Hotch a fierce look that said plainly why are you even bothering to ask, of course I would look after these children as if they were my own flesh and blood. Hotch gave a small smile and nodded.

"Okay then, as soon as the courthouses open I'll go and arrange temporary custody. I need to know which of you is going to act as the primary caretaker."

"I will my job schedule is more regular than Morgan's." Garcia said they had already made their decision before speaking to Hotch

The doctor came over to them just then, his expression did not suggest that had he had good news

 **A/N Please review, all reviews help and improve my work. They also motivate me and inspire me to write more.**


	3. Chapter 3

"Hello I'm Dr. Buckton, are you all here for Doctor Reid?"

"Yes, we are. How is he doing?" Hotch answered

"He's still in surgery. Even when he's out, he won't be up for visitors for several hours. I recommend all of you go home, we'll call when there's more news."

"Thank you Dr. Buckton" Hotch dismissing him

The doctor left and the group slowly and sadly packed up and headed to the elevators. They went up to pediatrics, Emily came over to them.

"The twins are sleeping, what's going on with Reid?"

"He's still in surgery. The doctor said it will be hours until he's up for visitors. "Morgan answered her

Hotch went up to the desk and asked to speak to the doctor who was treating Elena and Diana. He also retrieved the twins' basket, which needed to go the lab. Two minutes later Dr. Swanson came

"The twins are doing well. Their clean, well fed, and well taken care off; they are a bit small which could indicate their premature but twins are often born small. I have ordered a paternity test for Dr. Reid the results will be in within the hour. As soon as Dr. Reid is confirmed as their father and a temporary guardian is found the twins can leave."

"Thank you Dr. Swanson, were you able to tell if the twins have ever been breast fed?" Hotch asked

"It's hard to say, there are antibodies and nutrients we can detect that aren't present with formula, but they had to have been fed within day or so to find them, I'll run some tests.

Hotch thanked her and she left. The team then started discussing what to do next. Eventually a plan was decided on: Morgan and Garcia would get Garcia's apartment ready, Rossi would stay at on the hospital and keep an eyes on things, the others would go back to Quantico. They left and after dropping Morgan and Garcia at Morgan's car headed inside. They dropped of the duffle bag, basket, and envelope at the lab and then headed upstairs. JJ went to her office to tell the police that they couldn't fly out they would consult from here. Emily and Hotch went to the conference room, when they entered they saw the abandoned cups of coffee, the case files scattered on the table, chairs pushed back haphazardly, and Reid's jacket lying on the floor, his gun, flask, gum, and pacifier scattered around it.

"God, what happened this morning?" Emily asked seeing the state of the room

"I don't know, but we need to find out." Hotch said collecting Reid's things in evidence bags.

"Why didn't Reid tell us who shot him?" Emily asked coming over to help

"He didn't seem entirely here when he entered the room, and after Elena started crying he only thought about the twins. From the amount of blood loss I think it's safe to assume he was in shock."

"I'll take this stuff to the lab and talk to security." Emily said taking the evidence bags from Hotch

After Emily left Hotch gathered up the case files and then went to his office to draw up the papers for temporary guardianship. After twenty minutes Emily came in

"Hotch I talked with security and someone dropped Reid off. A truck driven by Elmer Grady, Reid used his ID to get past security; Elmer drove into the parking structure and let Reid out before driving off. I have the police tracking him down now."

"Have JJ switch with Rossi I need him back here. The courts open in an hour; I'm going to have Kevin Lynch trace Reid's cell phone as soon as we have a location I'm going to need the two of you to retrace his steps. I'll interview Grady when they police find him."

Emily nodded and went to talk to JJ. At Eight Am Hotch left for court, Rossi and Emily drove to Reid's last known location a bar in a neighboring town called the Prancing Pony. At ten everyone was at Garcia's helping her get the twins settled in. Her custody rights were temporary, as soon as a social worker checked everything out she would be given more permanent custody until Reid was better.

"So Rossi and I went to the Prancing Pony; Reid stopped their just before the BAU. He had a duffle bag and the twins and was driving his car. The woman who owns the bar Laura Taylor lives in a room overlooking the bar. She knew him from Las Vegas and he would sometimes stop by and visit. When he came he was light headed and shaky: she gave Reid brandy and offered to call 911. He said he couldn't stay so Grady who was spending the night offered to give him a ride. After Reid used the bathroom and Taylor changed Diana's diaper they left, Taylor had no idea where they were going. As the two men left, she thought she saw a car following them but she couldn't be sure." Emily reported as she rearranged cupboards.

"I talked with Grady and his story matches with hers. He offered to drive Reid home, but then Morgan called and Reid gave him directions to Quantico. Grady offered to stay and help but said he would be alright, and Grady drove off." Hotch said helping Morgan build the crib

"Did either of them meet Anna or hear Reid talk about her?" JJ said sitting on Garcia's couch with Elena in her arms

"Laura said she met Anna once when she came to visit Reid: A tough no nonsense kind of woman. She drove a Harley motorcycle even though she was five months pregnant. Reid said she didn't like to be tied down and went wherever the road took her. They talked for couple of hours before they drove off in separate vehicles." Rossi said holding Diana

Hotch's phone rang; he stood up and checked the caller it was the hospital. Everyone went still at that and waited as Hotch stepped into the hallway it was ten minutes before he came back

"Reid is in a coma, he lost a lot of blood. Dr. Buckton said he has a good chance because he's young and strong. However they are some concerns he has, he wants me to come over as soon as possible."

 **A/N Please Review, follow, favorite. All comments welcome positive or negative.**


	4. Chapter 4

Hotch left, by noon the team had finished getting the apartment set up and Morgan and JJ ran out for food. While they were waiting Rossi, Emily, and Garcia went over the case: Diana and Elena sleeping soundly in there crib. Hotch had not arrived back yet; Straus had heard of what happened and had called him back to Quantico for a meeting. Morgan and JJ came back loaded down with burgers, fries, milkshakes, Coffee and cookies

"What's with all the food?" Emily asked

"I just thought with the morning we all had everyone could use some comfort food." JJ said

"You know you guys are young; this kind of comfort food at my age is a death sentence." Rossi joked upon seeing the huge triple decker burger Morgan handed him

Everyone turned to stare at him with various degrees of sorrow, disgust, anger

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have said." Rossi said

The agents nodded, but everyone was somber and silent as they ate their food. Halfway through lunch Hotch returned he took the food Morgan had set aside for him. Everyone was chomping at the bit to ask him about Reid and Straus but they controlled themselves and waited until lunch was over

"Reid lost a lot of blood. The bullet fragmented upon impact it hit his large intestine and fragments went into his small intestine. They were able to repair the damage but Reid was bleeding out for at least an hour before he came to Quantico. Dr. Wick also found extensive bruising on Reid's body both defensive and offensive wounds the oldest are from two weeks ago. Reid is also malnourished, and dehydrated it looks like he was on the road ever since he took his personal leave two weeks ago." Hotch said

"So Reid gets word about Anna takes time of to see her and ends up in fights. I don't think it was with the man who shot him, he wouldn't have bothered beating Reid up he would have killed him." Morgan said

"I sent Reid's clothes to the lab, along with his wallet and FBI badge which were in his pants pocket. Garcia I want you to trace his credit cards find out if he used them at all. Rossi and I will go to Reid's apartment see if there's anything there that will help. Emily, Morgan I need you work the official case. Straus is not happy about what occurred this morning; we have a week to find Reid's shooter or this case is getting taken out of our hands." Hotch said

Garcia, Emily, and Morgan left for Quantico, JJ stayed behind to babysit. Hotch and Rossi went to Reid's apartment. It was a depressing sight to the two men: there were books on the table, a couple of pillows on the sofa. In the kitchen were a few dishes in the sink, expired food in the fridge, even a full pot of coffee that Reid had forgotten to turn off.

"Well he wasn't expecting to be gone for long." Hotch said seeing the state of the fridge

"His toiletries are missing, there are clothes scattered on the bed he packed in a hurry." Rossi opened the closet "Hotch get in here"

"Garcia didn't have to buy a crib, or a mobile." Hotch said sadly looking at all the baby stuff Reid had bought stuffed into the back of the closet

"He was expecting Anna to stay here; he made room in his closet and dresser drawers. It seems likely Anna unexpectedly went into labor and Reid left to see her." Rossi said

"But she gave birth three weeks ago, Reid left two weeks ago why wait a week?" Hotch asked

"That's an excellent question."

There were a few pictures of Anne, some southern maps on the table, and a few letters from Anna Hotch took all of those with him. The two also took the two stuffed bears Reid had bought for the twins one purple, the other pink and the mobile of flowers. They went back to Quantico where they discovered another person had been killed in Lincoln, Montana the place they were supposed to have gone. They put aside Reid's case for the moment and concentrated on their official case. Garcia however while doing any research asked of her still worked on Reid's case and discovered something interesting.

"So it turns out Anna Smith has an older brother. His name is William Colton and he owns a bar in Gary Indiana the same town Anna lives in. William is seven years older than her, their parents died when she was twelve and he raised her. As soon as she turned eighteen Anna took off, she disappeared for two years working odd jobs all over the Midwest. She came back home at twenty and stayed with her brother and worked at Hades Bar the one her brother would eventually own. When she was twenty four she got a job as a waitress at the Swan's table and moved out. While she was living with William she would sporadically take off and disappear for days or sometimes weeks."

"If she kept taking off, how did she keep her job?" Emily asked

"William was friends probably lovers with the owner: Emily Belle she was fifteen years older than William and left him the bar when she accidently drowned."

"Accidently?" Rossi asked

"Her body was found in a local river, the police said she slipped and fell in accidentally."

"Wait a minute Reid said Anna had a sister Elena what happened to her?"

"She died in the same car accident as their parents. They were taking her to a basketball game when they were hit by a drunk driver."

"Good work Garcia, after we finish up the Lincoln case, a couple of us need to go down there and look around." Hotch said

The team fell to work with a passion on the Lincoln case. By six they had a rough profile and had sent it to the Lincoln police. Hotch had assigned a police officer to guard Reid and Reid's car was towed to the FBI garage and was being looked over with a fine tooth comb. They would get the lab results on the car and Reid's possessions tomorrow morning. At one in the morning Morgan got a call from Garcia

"Morgan I think there's someone outside my apartment."

"What! Are you sure?" Morgan asked

"Elena woke up at midnight and I've spent the last hour trying to get to get her to sleep. I would periodically check outside and a car is just idling across the street with someone inside."

"Are you sure he's not lost or something?"

"He's been there for an hour, and he wasn't there when I went to bed at ten. Please Derek after what happened to Reid I don't feel safe here alone with the babies."

"Okay, I've almost finished dressing. I'm going to call Hotch and have him come over too."

"Thank you."

"Keep the doors and windows locked and keep away from the windows, we'll be there soon Baby Girl." Morgan said and hung up

 **A/N Well it's been a while but I got another chapter out. Please Review, Subscribe, Favorite.**


	5. Chapter 5

Morgan arrived fifteen minutes after Garcia called him. Hotch arrived five minutes after that. Morgan waited for Hotch in the gated courtyard of Garcia's building. They walked up to her apartment together; their hands on the buts of their guns. At a signal from Hotch; Morgan knocked while Hotch drew his gun and waited by the side of the door just out of sight. Garcia answered after Morgan's third knock

"Whose their?" She asked fearfully

"Baby Girl it's me Morgan, Hotch is with me. Can you let us in?" Morgan said

The door immediately opened, Garcia had a long carving knife in her hand. Morgan glanced at it and she handed it over. Hotch put his gun back in his holster and both men entered. The twins weren't in their crib, they weren't visible at all. Garcia went over to her bedroom, opened the closet and pulled out a box; the twins sleeping peacefully inside.

"Did you get him?" Garcia asked as she and Morgan put the twins back in the crib

"No, I drove around to your window, just as I turned onto the street a car raced past me." Morgan said

"I'll check cameras in the morning hopefully we'll get the creep's license plate." Garcia said

"Garcia you can file a report but I don't think it will do any good. I want to treat this as part of the ongoing investigation into Reid's shooting. In the meantime I would advice that you and the twins stay with Morgan for a while just to be safe." Hotch said

"I can't the social worker is coming over tomorrow to approve custody. If I leave she might think something is wrong and not let me take care of Diana and Elena and I can't not take care of them I just can't." Garcia said

"Okay, it's alright Baby Girl, come here." Morgan said and enveloped her in a hug

"I'm going to stay here tonight, and we'll think of a plan in the morning." Morgan said

"I'm going to call the police and have them send over a patrol car to do periodic sweeps around your apartment." Hotch said

Garcia smiled her thanks and gave him a brief hug; Hotch set up the patrol and then left. In the morning Garcia worked from home, Morgan went to work but only part of the day he left at noon for the social worker's visit. The case in Lincoln, Montana was coming together the agents were able to complete the profile by 11 and the police identified the Unsub's car. At Noon the agents took a break from the Lincoln case to go over the forensics reports from Reid's case.

"The police found a lot of cigarette smoke and alcohol on Reid's clothes both from the duffle bag and the ones he was wearing. I think it's safe to assume that Reid spent a lot of time in bars looking for information about Anna." Hotch said

"That makes sense Anna was used to bars and it would be easy to pick up a job or get some extra cash there. The babies basket, clothes and other things are clean though no trace of cigarettes, liquor. It looks like someone was taking care of the twins in a clean decent home or apartment." Rossi said

"Wait Anna was at least eight months pregnant why would she go to bars in that condition? " Emily asked

"She felt safe and comfortable in that environment. She worked in her brother's bar for four years; she probably made connections with other bar tenders and suppliers. If she needed to take off or wanted one last adventure before motherhood it makes sense that those are the places she'd visit. She probably was visiting old friends when she went into labor." JJ said

"Anna's letters to Reid do mention hitting bars for cash. She boasted in a few places that she hustled people like college kids, hell's angels, other groups for money. She also talked about taking off to visit old friends at places like the Hogs head, Devil's paradise, Last Stand." Hotch said

"So Reid hears maybe from one of her friends that Anna is in trouble and takes off to find her; he goes from town to town bar to bar tracking down information. Occasionally engaging in a fight when things go wrong." Rossi said

"Well the receipts we found in his car don't help much; he paid in cash and most of them are for gas at chain gas stations. Wait a minute…." Emily said and started digging through the receipts "The last receipt is dated three days ago, Reid would have had to stop to buy gas, his car had barely a quarter tank of gas left, Reid couldn't make it home on that."

"So Reid's stops for gas, is filling up when the person pursuing him catches up. They fight Reid gets shot but manages to scare off his assailant and flee. That explains the blood in the car and the duct tape; he drives off, stops briefly to bandage himself up and then goes to the Prancing Pony to do a better job." Rossi said

Hotch pulled out his phone and called Garcia. He asked her to look up any incidents at gas stations the night Reid was shot. She called back within five minutes. The night Reid was shot there were reports of gun fire at a chain gas station. The station had security cameras and she was sending them the footage to them now. The agents watched the video with gasps of dismay, and outrage

"That's the same car that was outside of Garcia's apartment last night. The license plates are duck taped but I'm sure it's the same car." Rossi said

"So the Unsub follows Reid sees an opportunity when Reid stops at an abandoned gas station. Reid gets out the man silently approaches him as Reid starts filling up Reid notices him him starts to pull his gun out, he gets shot but Reid manages to get out his gun and fire two shots; the shooter retreats, Reid gets into his car and drives off. "Emily said

"If the person who shot Reid is the same person whose stalking Garcia it means the twins are in danger; Which was why Reid came here and not a hospital he couldn't risk the twins falling into the Unsub's hands. We need to move fast, we need a plan to find Anna and to identify the stalker." Hotch said

The team spent an hour devising a plan before working on the Lincoln case. By six the team had narrowed down the suspect pool to three people which the Lincoln police were checking out. They met up with Morgan, Garcia, Diana, and Elena at an Italian restaurant for dinner.

"How did the meeting with the social worker go?" JJ asked after they were all seated in a private room thanks to Rossi's influence

"I've been approved as temporary guardian until Reid recovers or Anna is found. However Ms. Turnis wants me to get a bigger apartment, preferably one near a pediatric office and a park."

"That makes sense your apartment is clearly meant for one person, we could barely fit a crib in there, I can't imagine where you would fit two beds when the twins are older." Emily said

"Garcia I have some houses I'm working on. I know how much you love your apartment so why don't I find a house you can move into until Reid wakes up. You wouldn't have to pay much rent, and you could afford to keep your apartment." Morgan said

"Thank you Derek, I'm actually scared to be in my apartment since learning that the same man who shot Reid was watching me."

"We think it was the same person, we're not a hundred percent sure." Rossi said

The waiter arrived to take their orders, once they had been placed they started discussing the plan to catch the Unsub

"Morgan and Rossi are going to retrace Reid's steps try and find where he went and try and locate Anna. Emily and I are going to fly out to Gary Indiana tomorrow and talk to William Colton and see what he knows and if he's responsible for what happened. "Hotch said

"It's a good plan, but I'm sorry I can't stay alone in my apartment waiting to be attacked and if the perp was able to track Reid who knew he was being stalked he'll be able to find me." Garcia said

"I know, that's why you are going to stay with Will and I. Will has already agreed to stay home for the next few days and look after the twins while you are at work. Hotch has also set up a patrol around our house while you and Diana and Elena are staying there."

"Thank you so much, I won't be a bother I will cook and I will clean and I will be the model house guest you'll see." Garcia gushed

They ate dinner and then they all left to get ready to travel in the morning. Garcia was staying the night with Morgan, as they drove to his apartment Morgan noticed something

"Garcia don't panic, but I think we're being followed."

 **A/N So everyone is hitting the road what dark secrets will the agents uncover. Please let me know you're thoughts, criticisms welcome. Or Favorite Subscribe**


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning bright and early Hotch and Emily were on a plane headed to Gary, Indiana. They were supposed to be going over background information on William Colton, Anna Smith, Emily Belle and the town but were instead discussing the strange events of the previous night. Morgan had driven around for two hours certain he was being followed but was eventually forced to go to his apartment when the babies wet their diapers. Garcia hadn't seen anyone but it didn't mean there wasn't someone following them. They arrived in Gary and drove to the local police station and were met by the police chief; a heavyset bearded man in his forties with the complacent content look of a man with an easy post

"Chief Sloane I'm Aaron Hotchner, this is Emily Prentiss, Jennifer Jareau briefed you on why we're here."

"Yes she did, listen you came out here for nothing. Anna disappears all the time, she always shows up eventually like a bad penny."

"That may be but she was heavily pregnant when she left town and she left her children behind when she vanished." Hotch said forcefully

"Word in town was that Anna wasn't big on motherhood, she probably ditched her kids and ran off with some biker." Chief Sloane said dismissively

"Since we came all the way out here we would like to talk to William Colton and her roommate Karen Lane." Emily said barely keeping her temper in check at Sloane's attitude

"Course, you can find Colton at Hade's Paradise and Karen works at the Swan's Table."

"Thank you Chief Sloane." Hotch said and the agents left

Once outside Hotch devised a plan "We don't have a lot of time here so Emily I want you to go to Anna's apartment and talk to her roommate. I'm going to go to the Swan's Table, and Hades Paradise we'll meet at one to go over what we learn." Emily nodded and they split up

Anna lived in a small single story house near the northwest end of town. The house was fairly isolated; it was at the end of the block by the river. Emily knocked at the door and a petite blonde woman in her early twenties answered. She was reluctant to all Emily to come in until Emily showed her badge. The house was divided into a living area, kitchen/ dining area, a small sun room, two bedrooms, and a bathroom. Anna's room was cluttered with furniture a bed, desk, bookcase, dresser, and a small chair well padded with pillows. Despite the excess of furniture Anna's possessions were Spartan; she had clothes, a few pictures of her brother and Reid on the dresser, some CD's and a small CD Player, a guitar hung on the wall, and a few landscapes on the walls and a statue of a basket ball on the dresser. The books were the main focus; Anna had classic literature from her mother, sales books from her father, three pregnancy books, and a few books on motorcycle and car repair. All of them showed signs of heavy reading and some of the classic books were falling apart. Emily found a small metal box with a lock on the top shelf of the closet. She took it with her and went to the kitchen where Karen was making coffee.

"I'm going to take off, thanks for letting me letting me look around."

"No problem, I wasn't exactly surprised to see you Anna was bound to find trouble sooner or later."

"What do you mean?"

"She took off on that motorcycle all the time, kept getting calls from all manner of people, and refused almost all offers to socialize with decent folk."

"What do you mean decent folk?"

"Churchgoers, the respectable people who run this town; she was always spending her time at her brother's bar or planning a trip. As a matter of fact you can tell Will to come and pack up his sister's things I don't want her here anymore."

"I will tell him to call you when I see him; did Anna leave behind any photographs, medications, knitting supplies?"

"Yeah she taped this to the inside of the cabinet where we store our medicines." Karen said walking over to a drawer and pulling out an ultrasound picture and a piece of notebook paper with Reid's handwriting "She looked at these every morning when she got out her medications."

"Thank you, very much for your time." Emily said taking the papers and left the house

Emily drove to Dr. Felix's office the only doctor in Gary who offered prenatal care. At one Emily met Hotch for lunch at a local diner

"So I stopped by Dr. Felix's office he didn't tell me much but the receptionist Mrs. Shell did. Anna talked with her about medications, scheduled regular appointments, asked lots of questions about babies. Even if Anna planned to give the twins to Reid she was doing everything she could to make sure they were healthy."

"Was Dr. Felix able to tell you when the twins were supposed to have been born?"

"Yes the twins were born two and half to three weeks premature."

Their food came and Emily changed the subject "So I talked to Karen Lane Anna's roommate she didn't seem to care about Anna or her children, in fact she told me to tell William Colton to pick up Anna's things as soon as possible. She also said that Anna didn't associate with the right people, did the people you talked to tell you similar things?"

"The manager at the Swan's Table was happy with Anna said she could handle any job he gave her including cook and she never refused to do any job he asked of her, the manager at the Hades Bar said the same thing. The impression I got was that the managers liked Anna but the wait staff were more mixed in their feelings. A beautiful, talented, hard working woman is competition for promotions, tips, any perks, but they also said Anna was generous, caring, always willing to cover an extra shift or help out someone if they were in trouble. Apart from her extended absences Anna was a model employee."

"Did you talk to William Colton?"

"No, he left town three weeks ago, no one knows where he went."

"Well the police aren't going to be any help, we should talk to the priest small town like this the church is a central part of the community." Emily said

They finished eating and went over to the church. After the church they tried to talk to the police again but the chief told them in no uncertain terms to leave not only the station but to get out of town as well. They talked to a few neighbors, old teachers, and William's current girlfriend but uncovered no fresh leads. They left town that night and met up with JJ and Garcia the next morning in the conference room.

"How are the twins doing?" Hotch asked as they settled in at the table

"Good no signs of the stalker but I wish Reid was with them or Anna they need their parents."

"Reid will recover and we will find Anna. Were you able to track down William Colton?" Hotch said

"No he took his car but turned off the GPS and he's not using any of his credit cards. I also looked into Emma Belle's car but he sold it two weeks after she died along with her house and most of her possessions."

"Did Emma leave everything to him?" JJ asked

"She left him the bar and without another heir or close relationship he claimed the rest of the estate."

"Did anyone in town have any ideas where Anna or William might go?" JJ asked

"No the whole town was very supportive of them after their parents deaths but when William got a job at Hades Paradise two years later people started turning on him. Anna defended her brother and they shunned her too. William has friends among the local business owners and is currently seeing Lily Freed a waitress who works at a local diner. Anna was socially isolated in town; she kept to herself and spent most of her time before Emma's death with Emma and her brother. After Emma died Anna spent time by herself and then got pregnant she didn't have time to establish relationships outside of her brother and his circle. She also didn't trust or like her roommate considering that she kept most of her things with her brother or in a locked box in her closet."

"Did Lily know why Anna left the family home?" Garcia asked

"She moved out a week after Emma's funeral, William and Anna had a huge fight at the Hades two days before she left but nobody knows what it was about. Lily said that the last major fight William and Anna had was over money. After Marion and Harold, William and Anna inherited all their money including the money from their life insurance. William refused to touch Anna's money to help with her upkeep and put it all in a trust. On her eighteenth birthday Anna received her inheritance and bought a Harley Davidson Motorcycle and leather jacket. William was furious there was still plenty of money in the account but he wanted her to use the money to go to college. Anna stuck around long enough to graduate and then took off. "Emily said

Suddenly JJ's phone rang she answered it and left the room she came back a few minutes later her face grim

 **A/N finally a new chapter, lots of back story, please let me know your thoughts, all criticism and praise welcome or just Follow, Favorite.**


	7. Chapter 7

"William Colton has filed for custody of Diana and Elena." JJ explained

"When was this?" Hotch asked.

"Half an hour, the same court house where you filed for guardianship for Garcia and Morgan."

"He's in town then, do you have an address?" Hotch asked.

"Yes he's staying at the Milton Hotel."

"That place is not cheap, must be trying to prove to the judge he can take good care of Elena and Diana."Emily said

"Or he really is well off, we have no idea how much he inherited from Emma Belle and Hades Bar looked to be doing very well."Emily said.

Hotch turned to Emily "We'll go and talk to him now. "

Hotch stood and so did everyone else. Hotch however waited for JJ and Emily to leave but stopped Garcia. He closed the door and turned to her.

"Garcia William Colton has a strong claim for getting custody of Elena and Diana. We are going to investigate him and if he is innocent this is an out for you."

"An out sir?"

"When Reid came in he was bleeding out from a gunshot wound. Every one's emotions were running high and no one was thinking clearly. No one will think less any less of you if you don't want to raise Elena and Diana. Colton is Anna's brother he has a business and a home, he can give the twins a good home."

"I, no Hotch I won't give them up. Reid entrusted me to take care of his children, I have given this a lot of thought and I will do what he asked. William Colton may be the greatest man in the world but Reid entrusted his children to me, he risked his life to give them to me and Morgan they are ours until he or Anna is ready to take care of them."

"Okay, in that case we need to build a strong case. We need to get you into a house as soon as possible. Did Morgan give a list of houses before he left?"

"He did along with the names of two other people who renovate houses. I've started going through the list but I get off work I go home even with JJ and Will's help there's so much to do. Elena wakes up at odd hours, it takes Diana half an hour of walking and." Garcia paused and didn't continue clearly upset.

Hotch put a hand on her shoulder "What is it?"

"I don't know what they want. They start crying and I don't know if Elena wants her diaper changed, I don't know if Diana is hungry. I feel like I'm missing something but I don't know what." Garcia said sadly

"Penelope it took Haley weeks to figure out what Jack wanted when he cried. Often she and I would figure it out by accident. Eventually you start getting an instinct about it, just give it time."

Garcia nodded and Hotch put a hand on her shoulder and a small smile. They both left the room and went to work. When Emily and Hotch got to the hotel instead of going to Colton's room went to the garage to look at his car. It was a different make and model from the one that had been at the gas station where Reid was shot and the one seen outside Garcia's apartment. They then went to William Colton's room and knocked on the door. A handsome man with blonde hair and a beard answered; he was dressed in slacks and a blue t-shirt.

"I was expecting you." The man held out his hand "William Colton."

"Aaron Hotchner." Hotch said taking his hand

"Emily Prentiss." Emily said shaking his hand after Hotch

William gestured for them to come in. They entered the room walking past the kitchenette and over to the sofa and TV, noting the half empty suitcase on the other side of the room half unpacked.

"Sorry to drop in on you without warning. Planning to stay long?" Emily asked taking a seat on the sofa, William sitting in a nearby chair.

"As long as it takes to get my nieces. Listen I appreciate everything you've done for them for but they belong with me."

"How did you know Diana and Elena were here?" Hotch asked

"Anna told me she planned to stay with Spencer and leave the children with him."

"Leave them? Anna didn't plan to raise her daughters?" Hotch asked

"She was on the fence, she loves her children but Anna has a wanderlust she can't control. I was hoping that her pregnancy would make her want to finally settle down but it didn't."

"Do you think living in Gary may have been the reason she was so restless?"

"Because the town is full of moral, pious, busy body hypocrites who judge you for supporting your family." William said bitterly

"We talked to Pastor Anderson and Karen Lane they both said Anna wasn't well liked in town."

"When my dad, sister, and step-mom died the whole town helped us out. Bringing us food, giving Anna rides to school, church, watching her when I needed to work, as time passed they lost interest and soon it was just the two of us. Emma had known my father for years, actually moved to Gary to try and get him back. She checked in on us now and when and when I turned twenty one she hired me to work as a bartender."

"Were the two of you involved in a romantic relationship?" Emily asked bluntly

"Even if we were it's none of your business. She cared about us, looked after us, and never asked for anything in return."

"Yet you and Anna both worked for her." Hotch said

"She offered us work and we took it, the pay was good and she was flexible about the hours." William stood "Thank you for coming but I have things to do."

Emily stood and went over to Hotch who had been standing by the sofa.

"Mr. Colton do you know where your sister is or when she is going to come home?"

"Anna told me she was going to see some old friends before she went to stay with Spencer. I don't know where she is now but I'm sure she's fine." William said blandly but traces of worry he couldn't hide.

"Where have you been for the past three weeks?" Emily asked

"I had business to take care of; I've been looking to expand our line of liquors and was meeting with various producers."

"You were gone three weeks why didn't you use your credit cards and why did you turn off your GPS?" Hotch asked

"I prefer paying in cash and I don't like being tracked." William stood and walked to the door "If that's all I have a lot to do." William opened the door

"That's not all; we are going to need a list of every person you met and we need to know where you were four days ago."

"You think I shot Spencer? I would have preferred a different father but I didn't hate him enough to shoot him."

"Why didn't you like him?" Hotch asked

"Spencer's job is dangerous and it requires long hours I wanted someone with a steady nine to five job. He is also a ticking time bomb." William said

"A ticking time bomb?" Emily questioned

"Schizophrenic; he's only got a few more years of sanity and of course Elena and Diana might go crazy was well." William said

"Mr. Colton just because Dr. Reid's mother is schizophrenic does not mean her son or grandchildren will be schizophrenic. " Hotch said a bit too calmly trying to hide his anger.

"May be but I would have preferred Anna to not make that gambit. Still I know Spencer will make a good father to my nieces if he recovers." William said hastily trying to recover from his plain speaking.

William again opened the door and Emily and Hotch left. They drove back to Quantico where Hotch assisted Garcia in looking at houses, while Emily dug into William and his father Harold Hill's background. At six they went home, the next morning was spent compiling more background information and checking out property. That afternoon Morgan and Rossi checked in.

"So we're hot on Reid's trail but have little information about Anna. Some of the bars remember Anna most don't, it looks like she visited friends but without more information it's impossible to tell who." Morgan said

"I need you to go to Smithville, Kentucky that's were Emma Belle lived." Hotch said

"Emma Belle that's Colton's girlfriend why are we investigating her?" Rossi asked

"Emily researched Anna's father Harold Smith she discovered that when Anna first left home at eighteen she was following her father's path."

"What do you mean?" Morgan asked

"Her father before he married Marion Bellows, Smith traveled around the mid west as a traveling salesman. Anna visited the towns her father visited years ago, including his home town. When I searched Anna's apartment I found a few old travel plans of her father, plus some old train ticket stubs." Emily said

"So when she took off at eighteen, she was trying to connect to her father. So you think this time she was trying to connect to Emma a second mother figure." Rossi said

"It's only a theory I mean she did periodically take off for years but with her impending due date she might have been looking for guidance " Hotch said

"Okay, will do, oh Garcia how are my goddaughters doing?" Morgan asked

"They're doing great, we found a house a three story Victorian you where rebuilding. Hotch had a top of line alarm system installed and we're going to move in this weekend." Garcia said

"That old place, I should have known you'd pick an old fashioned house." Morgan said

"It's near a park, it in a good school district actually two if I do some geography and it's cheap, and." Garcia broke off

"What is it baby girl?"

 **A/N Please Review, or just show your interest by Following, Favoriting.**


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